Secretary of State for Scotland to inaugurate Charles Rennie Mackintosh sites in France

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore MP, has accepted an invitation by the Association Charles Rennie Mackintosh in France to officially inaugurate the Mackintosh Trail with 30 landscapes reproduced in situ where they were painted.

These are supported by three permanent exhibitions along the route which place Mackintosh’s life within the context of the culture and life of the 1920s near the French/ Spanish border in the Pyrenees Orientales. Charles Rennie Mackintosh is to Glasgow what Gaudi is to Barcelona. In architecture and design he pioneered the modernist movement, But at the end of his life he abandoned architecture for become a full time artist. They came on a holiday to Roussillon and stayed. Here they spent their last and possibly the happiest years of their lives.

Mackintosh developed a unique style and his paintings now hang in galleries round the world. But until the Scottish Government funded a special exhibition for the Entente Cordiale in 2004, he had become forgotten and was virtually unknown in this part of France

Michael Moore will participate in celebrations at two of the three Centres, which host Interpretative exhibitions.. The Trail follows Mackintosh’s footsteps from the Mediterranean coast to the high mountains of the Cerdagne,

A bilingual book ‘Monsieur Mackintosh’ which is part art book, part biography and part tourist guide, presents a voyage of discovery through this stunningly beautiful country

Mackintosh died of cancer in 1928. A year later, his wife returned to scatter his ashes in the harbour at Port-Vendres.

Under the guidance of Glasgow University and the Glasgow School of Art, the small acorn of The Scottish Government’s 2004 exhibition, has grown over 8 years with major investment from the French government, the European Union, the Languedoc Roussillon region and the Pyrenees Orientales department, to become a major attraction within the regional tourist economy.

At the same time, in the spirit of Mackintosh, the association has gradually developed a wide ranging and ongoing programme of Franco-Scottish cultural exchange, continuing the tradition of Europe’s oldest cultural alliance.

Monsieur Mackintosh

by Robin Crichton

In 1923, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald went on holiday to Roussillon, in the South of France, to rest and recuperate.

Her health was poor and as an architect and designer he had become outmoded.

They were enchanted.

The holiday became a permanent stay and Mackintosh rapidly developed his talents as an artist. They spent the last and possibly the happiest years of their life together in an earthly paradise.

When Charles Rennie Mackintosh died of cancer, his widow scattered his ashes on the waters of Port Vendres. It was in this southern corner of France that they spent the last four and possibly the happiest years of their life together.

The book “Monsieur Mackintosh” is part biogaphy, part art book and part guide book. It places as the man and his art within the context of his times and Roussillon of the 1920s. Suggested itineraries in the appendix provide a way of following in his footsteps to discover the land he knew and loved.

Robin Crichton, President of the Association crm en Roussillon, follows in Mackintosh’s footsteps, rediscovering as he does so the culture and beauty of the region and how it influenced Mackintosh’s painting. Crichton’s own love of Roussillon shines through, and his elegiac prose sits in perfect harmony with Mackintosh’s splendid paintings.

Robin tells us a little more about the association

“”The objectives of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Association are not only to make his life and works better known but also to develop cross-cultural Scottish/Roussillonais exchanges.

A Mackintosh Trail runs from the coast to the Cerdagne with over 30 reproductions of his landscapes placed in situ. Interpretation centres at Palalda, Port-Vendres and in Fort Liberia at Villefranche de Conflent tell the story in three episodes.

We organise concerts, talks, plays, lectures and visits to and from Scotland . We also help to organise residencies and exhibitions for professional artists (painting and sculpture) and organise watercolour painting course for amateurs. And lots more….. Events are held mainly in French but usually end up bi-lingual! Membership is 20 euros”

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